The Limit of Dawn (Under Revision)
by Viealle
Summary: Ten years. Ten agonizing years since the last time she saw those insightful, green eyes that seemed to bore through to her very soul. She was finally home...and she would do everything in her power to make sure that she was there to stay. **UPDATE** /1/23/2016/ TLoD will be under revision. Some aspects of the story will change. Thank you to everyone who has stayed faithful!
1. Even Now

**(A/N 2/3/2016): Hello everyone! I am currently rewriting this story. I wasn't comfortable with how it was moving along, and I felt like I lost my touch in writing…So, I will be reworking the story in chapters to help it flow a little bit better. Thank you to everyone who has followed and liked the story thus far! Sorry that it has been so long!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Spirited Away."**

Chapter 1: Even Now

It had been nearly four months since Chihiro had come home…or, more specifically, what her parents deemed as her "home." Chihiro looked out of her father's blue sedan wistfully. Every time she came back to this place, a warm sensation would come from her sparkling purple band on her wrist. It was the only proof that reminded the young woman that she was in fact, not crazy.

Since ten years ago, much of what she experienced would fade into the recess of her mind until the familiar warm temperature would bring the repressed memories forward. It seemed to Chihiro that without the band her friends had given her, she would have forgotten as soon as she stepped foot back into the human world.

It was at that point that her father drove past the beaten pathway that lead to the spirit world entrance. She stared after it longingly. _'Why does it matter anyway? It's closed.' _Chihiro thought with a small choke. It was true. Until she left for college in Tokyo, she would visit the old train station every day to see if she would be let through. Even though she was able to walk through the train station, as soon as she entered the outside, the only thing she could see was grass for miles. The river did not exist. The spirit town did not exist. The bathhouse did not exist…Haku did not exist.

"Chihiro, honey, we're home." Her mother, Yuko, stated softly. Chihiro's honey eyes snapped from the window and she gave her mother a bashful smile.

The young woman jumped out of the car and pulled her bags out of the trunk with the help of her parents. As they carried the bags to the blue house, her parents started asking questions about her schooling.

"So Chihiro, how is Nursing school at the best university in Japan?" Her father, Akio, asked proudly. He loved asking his only daughter of her accomplishments. Ever since they moved to this new place, Chihiro immediately poured everything she had into her schooling. It was the only thing she had to keep her mind off of the world that she missed so, so much. She maintained valedictorian status throughout high school and even made it into one of Japan's most prestigious universities.

With a small smile, Chihiro answered her father. "It's great dad…Just a ton of work and clinicals." As she spoke, she dropped her book bag full of humongous medical books.

Her mother gave her a knowing smile. While Chihiro's father loved their daughter very much, he did not actually _understand _her. Yuko was sure she did not either. Chihiro had grown into a lovely, compassionate young woman. Despite many of her great attributes, Yuko noticed something her husband failed to acknowledge. Chihiro was painfully lonely. She always seemed to be staring off into space, as if remembering a time and place that she would rather be.

"Chihiro, what do you want for dinner?" Her mother asked kindly. Chihiro was doing exactly what she always did. She was staring through the window and into the blue sky.

Chihiro hummed before answering. "Octopus weenies would be great, mom." Chihiro said with a huge smile. They were here favorite, albeit childish. Yuko nodded happily and set to the kitchen.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going for a walk to see if anything's changed!" Chihiro yelled over her shoulder. She slipped on her shoes and exited the house.

On her way down the hill to the unpaved road that lead to the train station, her parents stared out the window after her.

"She always goes down there when she comes home. It's the first thing she does! She goes down there so often that she's worn a path into the grass!" Akio exclaimed with a slightly sad lilt to his deep voice. Instead of conversing with them, his daughter always wanted to go check out the old, creepy place down the hill.

Yuko was cutting the hotdogs and she smiled to her husband. "Just let her be, Akio. She's never gone long anyways." Yuko cooed to her fuming husband. Both sets of eyes returned to watching their daughter walk down the hill.

Chihiro wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. It was extremely hot, especially with the sun beating down on her unceremoniously. But, as soon as she entered the forest, the heavy canopy of trees blocked the hot sun from Chihiro. She immediately gave a happy sigh, relishing in the cooler temperature as she walked the path.

As the woman walked by, she carefully examined all of the tiny spirit houses that took residence on the side of the path. Eventually, she made it to the entrance of the train station. She missed this place, despite the fact that it never allowed her through after she came back from the spirit world. It served as a reminder that what she experienced was real…and that maybe one day, she would be allowed back to go to her rightful home.

The tunnel was damp and cold like it was every time she came to the train station. Even now, the purple band on her wrist continued to warm on her wrist. As she traversed through the abandoned train station, nervousness grew in her stomach. It happened every time she came here. She always hoped that maybe, just maybe, she could slip through and rejoin her friends on the other side. Up until now, she was disappointed every time.

This time was no different. As the sun once again beat down on her, she stared ruefully out at the never ending sea of tall, green grass. It was like every other time. The passageway was not open.

Chihiro sunk to her knees as she continued to stare at the grass that swayed in the breeze. "You promised." Chihiro choked out quietly.

Her closest friend promised 10 years ago that he would see her again. Why hadn't he come for her yet?! He must have known how distraught she was without her friends! An emotional sigh escaped from Chihiro's lips as tears slipped from her pained eyes.

"Why do I even try anymore?" She asked herself. If Haku actually was coming for her, he would have done so by now. Her eyes scanned the green grass for any inclination that the spirit world lay before her. She was greeted with nothing.

Chihiro slowly picked herself up and with slumped shoulders, returned to the train station. She did not turn back.

**(A/N): I would like to thank both Bloophearts and a Guest Reviewer for leaving insightful reviews for this story! I would also like to thank Jazuchan2 for putting this story on both her favorites and alerts lists!**

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	2. Reminders of the Past

Chapter 2: Reminders of the Past

"Oh, Chihiro, must you always have your face stuck in a book?" Yuko softly asked her daughter in a playful manner. Currently, Chihiro was sitting at their dining room table next to a large window. It was her usual study space since the large window provided natural light for reading and writing.

Chihiro nuzzled into her mother's hand as Yuko caressed her daughter's long, chocolate colored hair. "I know you're just trying to keep your mind busy, darling. I'm only teasing, is all!" Her mother stated as she left to grab a pot of tea. She set two tea cups down for both her and her daughter and poured some Chamomile tea.

_'If only she knew how right she was.' _Chihiro thought ruefully. Although her mother always hit the nail on why she acts the way she does, her mother never really knew the actual reason for why she always stayed busy. Of course she was dedicated to her studies! Of course she wanted to help people and do a great job! But, most of all, she wanted to forget, even for just a moment, that her heart was left somewhere else 10 years ago. Chihiro pushed the thought out of her head and took a small sip of the delicious liquid.

"Why haven't you gone down the hill in a few days, Chihiro? I thought you loved that place?" Chihiro's eyes enlarged. Leave it to her mother to ask the deep questions.

Chihiro struggled to come up with a response. "I…It's just been too hot and I have this to do." She stated before pointing at her book, which had figures and diagrams that made it seem like it was written by aliens. Her mother gave her a playfully incredulous look. "Mmhm." Her mom stated. Chihiro buried her face back into her book as Yuko went to the sink.

Her mother was too inquisitive! But, she supposed it was out of her normal routine. Whenever Chihiro had free time when she came home, she _always _went down to the train station. A sharp pang resonated in her chest. She was tired of being let down every single time. She had to move on! For her own sake. Sitting around waiting for something to happen was getting old and—

"Chihiro! Did you just hear what I said, honey?" Yuko asked. Chihiro's eyes broke from the window and snapped to her mother who was drying dishes. She shook her head lightly, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Sorry, mom. What did you say?" She asked. Yuko gave another knowing smile. She placed a bowl into its respective cabinet before resting on the kitchen counter.

"The Obon festival is coming up next week. We have to start planning on what we're going to do. Do you want to make bouquets again this year? Or would you rather buy them?" Chihiro leaned back in her chair and pondered. _'That's right…Obon is next week and we haven't even started the preparations.' _

Tochinoki, the city where her parents resided, was especially into celebrating during Obon week. Almost all of the residents went out of their way to get ready for the coming of their ancestors. It was a huge deal. Each family cleaned their houses and offered food to the spirits in front of an altar. If they were feeling even more dedicated, the family could put bouquets of flowers and chochin lanterns around the altar as well. More lanterns were put outside of the house to lead the spirits home. Moreover, the townspeople gathered in the town park for celebrating Obon. Luckily for her family, the park lay right down the hill near the pathway to the crumbling train station. Trying to travel during the festival time was a near disaster. Despite the large amount of people traveling, the park was large enough to house all of the townspeople. It also was next to a flowing river where people could send off lanterns dedicated to the spirits, which was another huge aspect of celebrating Obon.

"I'd like to make bouquets, we could do them together. Are we going to decorate the chochin lanterns too?" Chihiro asked her mom. Yuki cocked her head to the side.

"We haven't done it in a few years, but of course we can. You can draw on them so you can take a break from studying so hard!" Her mother laughed. Chihiro giggled before turning back towards her book.

.-x-.

Chihiro groaned inwardly. The Obon festival was already halfway through, but she was so _tired._ Before the start of the week, Chihiro had been cleaning furiously with her mother. Since her father worked long hours, the two women took it upon themselves to do more than their part. At least the house was clean after the intense cleaning session. The cleaning wasn't done for Chihiro, though. The Ogino's next door neighbor was an elderly woman who was nearing her 90's. Chihiro saw the ancient woman attempting to beat the dust out of a carpet one day while collecting the mail. Being who she was, she immediately took on the task to help the lady out. She ended up cleaning the small house for the grandmotherly woman.

_Chihiro straightened her slumped back and winced as the bones of her spine popped. She stretched her tight muscles and turned a vase full of flowers so that its prettiest side was facing the front. Since she and her mother completed their own house, Chihiro offered to help clean Ms. Goto's house for her. _

_The young woman completed cleaning the small house a few hours ago and had just finished decorating for Ms. Goto. Chihiro smiled softly at the pristine altar in front of her. 'I'm sure she'll love it. I'll have to go find her and show her.' Chihiro thought happily. She left the common area room and went in search for the older woman. _

_A shuffling noise from Ms. Goto's bedroom got Chihiro's attention. "Ms. Goto, I just finished the decorations for the altar, do you want to see if it is to your liking?" Chihiro asked quietly as she stood in the doorway._

_The hunched woman turned her still youthful eyes to the young woman. "Of course, Chihiro-chan! I'm sure you did a beautiful job. Oh, do be a dear and come here please." Ms. Goto waved Chihiro in with gnarled hands._

_Chihiro stood next to the short woman and saw that Ms. Goto was going through her jewelry box. Chihiro barely managed to hold back a gasp at how beautiful all of her baubles were. She had everything from gold rings to intricate Kanzashi. _

_"Chihiro-chan, I know the Obon festival at the park is tomorrow, and I want to give you something in return for doing such a great job in this old dump. But first, I have to find the darn thing!" Ms. Goto stated happily, while continuing to rummage through her large jewelry case._

_A blush crept onto Chihiro's face. "Ms. Goto, I really don't think I deserve something in—" Chihiro begged. Ms. Goto held her leathery hand up to Chihiro to silence her before turning to the young woman wither wise eyes sparkling. "I found it!" She breathed happily._

_In her hand was a ball-style Kanzashi. It was fashioned out of dark wood. The decoration was a small ball of Opal, which glittered in the light. It seemed as if it was giving off its own light rather than reflecting off the light of the room. Despite its simplicity, it was breathtaking._

_"I don't deserve such a beautiful token, Ms. Goto," Chihiro stated bashfully. Ms. Goto smiled. "Nonsense, child! If there is anyone who deserves this, it is you. I never had any girls—I was blessed with 5 rambunctious boys! And besides, the spirits are roaming around during this time. This will keep you safe from the evil ones, love! My mother said that is was fashioned many, many years ago when the spirits still inhabited the earth with humans. The kanzashi will keep you safe." Ms. Goto gushed as she placed it in Chihiro's hand, and wrapped her worn hands around the young woman's. _

_"I couldn't thank you enough…I will definitely wear it tomorrow. Thank you, Ms. Goto!" Chihiro thanked the elderly woman profusely before enveloping her in a hug._

Chihiro snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed her brush smeared black ink all over one of the chochin lanterns she was decorating. "Oh sh…." Chihiro stated, almost cussing loudly as she hurriedly attempted to blot the opaque ink. Her shoulders drooped as she looked at the blotched paper of the lantern. It was completely ruined.

"Miss Clumsy." Her father's deep voice chuckled as he entered the kitchen area to join her. He was already dressed in a simple, black yukata. She gave her father a playful glare before a sweat drop appeared on her forehead. "What am I going to do with this, dad? I don't want to waste it, but I don't have time to find another lantern."

Her father came to her side and gave a thoughtful humming noise. "Make it a cloud." He said seriously. She turned to him. "A cloud, dad?" She asked, unsure of his decision. Akio gave her a funny look before sitting down in front of his own lantern.

"Yes, baby. Just put one of those dragons you like so much on there for more decoration. Your mom won't stop gushing about your drawings. I'm sure she'll be pleased." Akio stated, while putting a heavy handed brush in the ink. He looked up momentarily to give his daughter his "you know your crazy mother" look that usually ended up with him receiving an elbow to the arm. Chihiro laughed and went back to her lantern. She smudged the ink to resemble a cloud and started to create more. Chihiro quickly grabbed a finely tipped brush and started outlining a snake like body on the paper. Soon, she was adding details and finalizing her painting.

A dragon was twirling through the sky and the clouds, with what seemed a grin on its face. Chihiro stood back from the lantern and smiled happily. It would do for the celebration later that night. Suddenly, her mother called her name from upstairs.

"Coming mom! See ya, dad!" Chihiro stated before running to the stairs of her house. She took them two at a time and went to her mother's bedroom.

"Yes, mom?" Chihiro asked. Her mother was standing in the bathroom applying a light layer of makeup. She was already in her subtle indigo blue yukata.

"Chihiro, we only have an hour, go get your undergarments on so I can help you with your yukata!" Her mother instructed.

The young woman ran to her room and tore her regular clothes off. She slipped on her lace yukata that went on underneath. She tied the lace yukata tightly just as her mother shuffled in.

"When did you get so curvy? You'll look beautiful in this old thing." Yuko teased her daughter as she placed towels around her daughter's midsection and tied them tightly in place. A blush crept onto Chihiro's face. "It's beautiful mom. It still looks new. Thank you for letting me wear it." Yuko's mirthful laughter filled the room as she slipped the light blue yukata on her daughter. She quickly set about putting it together nicely. Yuko's nimble fingers moved over the knots she made swiftly. Soon, she was wrapping the silver obi around her daughter's midsection.

"So beautiful, and you're welcome. What about your hair and makeup?" Yuko asked. Chihiro gave her mother a funny look. She was not used to pampering herself or putting herself together beautifully. She was a college student after all.

Yuko gave an exasperated sigh before shuffling out of Chihiro's room to get her makeup. "Ah! The Kanzashi!" Chihiro exclaimed. She went to her dresser and pulled it out of a small jewelry box.

"What's that? It's gorgeous!" Yuko stated, while she set her toiletries down. Chihiro smiled. "Ms. Goto gave it to me for helping her with her house. I tried to refuse, but she gave it to me. I'm very thankful." She explained happily.

The two women chatted happily as Yuko pulled her daughter's long, chocolate-colored hair into a simple bun. She left a few strands to accentuate her daughter's face. Yuko then slipped the kanzashi into Chihiro's hair in order to keep the bun in place.

Akio's voice was heard downstairs. He was calling for the two women, stating that they had to leave soon or they would miss the beginning of the festival. Yuko bit her lip as she smiled at her daughter. She applied a light dusting of eye shadow and blush.

"Let's go before your father has a fit!" Yuko smiled to her only daughter.

.-x-.

"You look positively lovely, young one!" Ms. Goto smiled happily. Chihiro gave the elderly woman a bow. "Thank you. And, thank you for the kanzashi," Chihiro said respectfully.

"Oh, stand up dear!" Ms. Goto told the young woman. Chihiro did as she was told and walked with the old woman through the throngs of people that were in the park.

"Where do you want to go, Ms. Goto?" Chihiro asked the elderly lady, who looked around at the many people. "Just to the riverside, dear. At that point, I'll have to tell you to go find people your own age! What kind of young woman hangs around an old hag?" Ms. Goto laughed. Chihiro blushed furiously and argued with the old lady. In truth, Chihiro preferred the older population. At Ms. Goto's age, the seniors seemed more open and carefree. Most of them often spoke of ghosts and spirits…and when they did, Chihiro didn't feel as insane. It was almost if the elderly were the closest she could relate to. That was an interesting concept.

Chihiro helped the ancient woman sit down on a park bench near the water. "Do you need anything, ma'am?" Chihiro asked kindly. Ms. Goto swatted at Chihiro. "Go have fun! Stop being a nurse and be a young woman! I'll be fine. I'll see you atop the hill tomorrow," Ms. Goto laughed at the young woman who gave her a kind goodbye. As Chihiro turned and walked away, the kanzashi twinkled in the dim light of the chochin lanterns. Ms. Goto's smiled broadened as she turned her old eyes back to the river.

Chihiro moved through the crowd in hopes of finding either her parents or someone she knew before everyone was prompted to set their lit lanterns on the rushing river. Finally, she spotted two of her good friends standing near the river.

"Hey guys!" Chihiro greeted brightly. They turned to Chihiro and responded with a big grin. "Hey Chihiro-chan! When did you get back into town?" The two responded simultaneously. Sumiko and Shuichi were twins that Chihiro spent a lot of time with before they all went their separate ways for college.

"I just got back a few days ago! How are you guys?" Chihiro asked amiably. Shuichi opened his mouth to answer, but a bell rang signaling the lighting of the lanterns.

"It seems you got here just in time, they're about to tell us to send our lanterns off!" Sumiko said instead. She lit both hers and her brother's lantern and then handed Chihiro a small lighter, which she took thankfully. As soon as the lighter was put into her hand, the trio heard the prompt signaling the time to start putting the lanterns in the water. Chihiro quickly lit her chochin lantern and they put their lanterns in the water together.

"Hopefully the spirits will like our lanterns this year and bless us!" Sumiko stated happily, while clasping her small hands together. Chihiro suddenly cried out in pain and grasped her wrist. "What's wrong?!" Shuichi asked the brunette girl, who was hunched over.

'My wrist, it hurts…" Chihiro gasped. The purple band around her wrist grew hot, as if it was set in a fire for an hour before being placed on her skin. It glittered more than usual as Chihiro stared down at it in disbelief.

"Did you burn it? Is your band too tight?" The twins asked in union, placing comforting hands on Chihiro's back.

The heat did not go away like it usually did. It was customary that the band would give her a warm reminder of her past…but this was different. It was a searing, almost yearning pain. "I have to go guys, I'm so sorry." Chihiro stated before taking off down the pathway and towards her house.

As Chihiro ran, she attempted to pull the strand off of her arm, but to no avail. Tears stung her eyes as she made it to the edge of the park, where the heat lessened. Chihiro gripped her arm tightly and continued running to the edge of the forest where the path lay. The pain on her arm continued to decrease as she moved closer to the path. It was dark and foreboding. Slowly, Chihiro moved to the pathway and started walking to the train station.

"This has to be a dream…" Chihiro stated in disbelief. The young woman moved past the weird statue in front of the entrance. She hadn't come back to the train station since her coming home from college. The last time she came to the station, she left more disappointed than usual…

She was nervous and scared as she moved through the tunnel. Like the first time she came to the train station, a rush of wind blew into the tunnel and pushed Chihiro farther along when she faltered in her steps.

"I'm definitely dreaming." Chihiro said again when she moved through the main part of the station. The only light was from the last rays of sunlight entering through the large windows at the top of the building. The purple band began to pulse on her wrist.

Chihiro's eyes studied the band carefully. Chihiro closed her eyes before she finally took a tentative step outside of the dilapidated building. When she opened her worried eyes, they were greeted with the twinkling lights of food shop signs in the far distance.

.-x-.

**(A/N): She's baaaccckkk! Thank you to all of the readers and reviewers. You are greatly appreciated.**

**Guest: I hope the "wow" is a good one! :3**

**Bloophearts: Hehehehe, not quite! He is coming soon, though!**

**Jeanne: Just this chapter before things really start to get rolling. Sorry if it seems long, I just wanted to have a little bit more backstory before she finally makes it home. Sorry for the wait! **


	3. Similar, Yet Different

Chapter 3: Similar, Yet Different

Chihiro stared in shock at the sight before her. It was the first time in ten years that she saw anything other than miles of tall, lush grass. Her mind worked to make sense of the situation. She moved slowly to the rocks that acted as a border between the train station and the spirit town.

"I have to cross soon!" Chihiro exclaimed out loud to herself. The last rays of sunlight were slowly disappearing into the darkness of night. Chihiro immediately noticed the water of the filling river was moving quickly. She took a look down at her yukata. She managed to run to the train station without making it dirty, but she did discard the sandals that were slowing her down. Chihiro's fingers started pulling quickly at the Obi that her mother tied so artfully. Quickly, she wrapped the Obi and slipped it into her wide sleeve. Next, she removed the ties and the troublesome towels around her midsection. She placed the towels down on a rock, and then tied a ribbon around her waist to hold her loose yukata. She used her other ribbon to tie her sleeves back into tasuki so that she could climb over the rocks.

She quickly stepped onto a rock, and was almost pushed over by the rising current. The young woman moved carefully across slippery stones, attempting to stay balanced as the water continued to rise rapidly. Suddenly, a large wave came rushing towards her, and threw the girl against some jutting rocks.

"Agh." Chihiro muttered softly. She was strewn across a large rock. The young woman brought a shaky hand to her head. The stars in the night sky were dancing in slow circles and her vision started splitting into two. She carefully rolled over and attempted to climb away from the strength of the water. The dark mass was licking at her already wet and shaking body, attempting to pull her back into its depths.

Finally, she managed to pull her sore body up to the edge of the spirit town. She laid there quietly for a moment, attempting to grasp what was going on. A wave of fear hit her harder than the water moments before. Her hands, which were resting on cobblestone, were being to become see-through.

Chihiro threw her body up immediately and ran through the town, attempting to find someone that might know her. She remembered the place like it was the back of her hand, but that didn't stop her from continuing to disappear. Chihiro collapsed on the ground in front of some food stores, which successfully resulted in spirits looking at her in distaste. The bathhouse was too far away. She would never make it in time. Tears of anguish fell from her troubled eyes. She was going to disappear, and there was nothing she could possibly do to help it.

The shop owner noticed the girl huddling in front of his stand and started yelling profanities. Chihiro winced, and scooted away from the oncoming spirit, who had a humongous fly swatter in his fat hand. "Get away from here, you insufferable scum!" The fat spirit screamed, swatting at the nearly translucent female. Chihiro stood up and attempted to run, but the spirit swatted at her, knocking the girl back down to the ground.

"Or, we should roast you and serve you to the high level spirits..." the spirit muttered darkly as he grabbed her small arm.

"Release her immediately." A deep voice ordered from down the cobblestone pathway. Immediately, the fat spirit dropped the stunned woman back onto the ground. He turned to the commanding voice. The man backhanded the spirit. "Go get me a sliver of food immediately and I'll think twice of killing and roasting _you." __The man's smooth voice ordered in an amused tone._The obese spirit happily obliged, and scuttled away from Chihiro and the man, who was still turned away from her. The shop owner spirit returned with a large piece of juicy meat, and dropped it into the man's waiting palm. He apologized profusely, before returning to his shop. "I swear that these insolent assholes make my rounds even harder than they need to be. Dicks." The man muttered angrily.

Suddenly, he turned to her and his hand appeared in front of Chihiro's red face. It held a piece of the unknown meat. "Wha...what?" Chihiro asked, dumbfounded by the offering. The spirit was standing next to her with amused ice blue eyes. He looked rather peculiar. He was young looking with shaggy black hair. The man looked human, except for his sharp canines protruding from his pale lips. His hand motioned towards hers, and he dropped the piece of meat into her waiting palms. "Thank you..." She told the spirit kindly, before popping the morsel into her mouth.

The spirit nodded with a lopsided grin and flicked her forehead lightly. Chihiro touched the spot where he flicked as she watched her uncanny savior walk away from her to continue his patrol. "Best hide, little girl. The Dragon may not be so kind." He called over his shoulder. His sadistic chuckle faded as he disappeared down the pathway towards the river.

Chihiro's mouth feel open. Did he mean Haku? If so, she needed to find him immediately. She stood up quickly and ran into an alley way. Chihiro moved through the small passageways in the direction she assumed to be towards the bathhouse. She would just need to find a back way into the bathhouse and find one—

"What's that noise?" A deep, gruff voice stated from the building that Chihiro was next to. She quickly clamped her mouth and sunk to her knees next to a trash bin as multiple voices began spreading out to search for her.

'_I don't remember all of these people last time I was here…What's going on?' _Chihiro thought, as a fresh wave of fear radiated through her. She slowly lifted her eyes to see if there were any spirits peering at her from above. An odd boar-like spirit was peering down at her. She grit her teeth to calm herself. The spirit's face contorted into an expression of confusion as he retracted away from the edge. "Must have been a rat…" The spirit muttered as his voice faded away.

Chihiro stared at her hands. She wasn't invisible anymore…Chihiro shook her head. _'No matter, I have to actually get to the bathhouse if I want to stay alive…No use in thinking about it.' _She thought as she started crawling towards the end of the alleyway. It seemed like this was going to be a lot more difficult than last time…

.-x-.

The trek to the bathhouse was longer than Chihiro initially expected. She was moving slowly through the narrow alleyways to attempt to stay as quiet as possible. For some reason, the spirits didn't see her…But she didn't want to find out if they could still smell or hear her if she was up close…

When she finally broke out of the maze of the alleyways, her eyes were greeted with the twinkling lights of the immaculate bathhouse. She immediately jumped into the nearest bush when she saw a group of armored spirits marching towards her. Most of the group were human-looking, save for a few that looked like animals.

She moved the branches of prickly bush so that she could see the group more clearly. '_The town is so heavily guarded now…' _Chihiro thought. Besides the group on the rooftop and the one passing her now, the front of the bathhouse was guarded by more spirits. The guests entering the bathhouse used to be greeted with smiling women…And now, it seemed like the guests were greeted with a spirit-version of airport safety checkpoints.

The group marched past her, and she let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes scanned the ledge that lead to the animal pens to the left and the bathhouse to the right. She noticed that the marsh was once again green and full. The ocean water was no longer there. She silently wondered how long it took for the water to evaporate before it became the marsh yet again.

Chihiro shook her head in irritation. She had to get moving! But where? She definitely was not going through the front doors like last time… Her eyes continued to scan along the ledge until she came across what looked like a ladder. She checked both ways before sprinting towards the ledge and the ladder.

"Holy…!" Chihiro bit out as she stared down at the marsh below. She never really realized how _high_ she really was from the bottom. Chihiro gulped inwardly. She remembered the time she ran across the pipe that was pulling away from the building...She didn't realize the seriousness of the situation because she was so focused on helping Haku. Chihiro did, however, develop a height issue after she made it back to the human world and had time to ponder over her spiritual trip. But there was no time for that now.

Chihiro spun around and put her foot on the first step, and slowly lowered herself down. "I'm going to die…Yup, I am _so _going to die…" Chihiro muttered to herself. She didn't want to look down at how far away the ground still was. After what seemed like hours, Chihiro's foot landed in a soft, plushy plant. She finally looked down, and noticed she was standing in the marsh.

"Sweet…" Chihiro muttered softly, before resting her back on the cliff side. Nausea washed over her in waves as she fought to keep down the bile in her stomach. When it cleared, she stared out across the marsh. She focused on the luminescent green of plants to calm her nausea.

Chihiro started towards the bathhouse's staircase that would lead her to Kamaji's boiler room. Hopefully she would be greeted with a familiar face.

.-x-.

Chihiro slowly pulled open the door to the boiler room and she gladly welcomed its heat. Despite the intense temperature, it reminded her that she was safe now. It was her first place of safety when she arrived last time. As she walked through the hallway, she saw Kamaji's shadow on the wall of herb boxes.

"Get back to work! Break time is over!" Kamaji's gruff voice yelled over the loud noises in the boiler room. Chihiro peeked her head into the stuffy room. Immediately, the soot balls dropped their coal and started jumping excitedly as the young woman entered the room. "Hello everyone!" Chihiro exclaimed happily, smiling at the small soot balls that were jumping to greet her.

"Wah...Who are you?" Kamaji asked wearily, before slamming his mallet on the iron wheel and turning an angry eye to the soot balls. "What did I say? Stop messing around!"

Chihiro gave a sheepish smile before she stated, "It's me, Kamaji! Sen!"

Kamaji's eyes widened. "Sen?!" Kamaji cried in disbelief. His mouth hung open as his arms extended out from his body. He carefully picked the young woman up and carried her back to his gave her a bone crushing hug. She returned it happily, despite her arms being barely able to encircle the spider spirit. Although his job had him constantly in the hot boiler room, he did not reek of sweat or dirt. Chihiro wondered slightly if that was a spirit attribute.

When Kamaji let go of her, he set her back to appraise her as a grandfather would do to a beloved granddaughter. "You look well, my dear." Kamaji mused happily as he set Chihiro down.

"Sit, sit! We all have much to go over. I'll serve tea." Kamaji said joyfully, a lilt to his voice that was obviously not used very often. After playing with the soot balls for a few moments, Chihiro sat at the small table behind Kamaji. The boiler man's arms brought over a chipped tea cup and a tea kettle. He poured a foul smelling green liquid into the small cup and sighed happily.

"I'm so happy to see you. Lin and the others will be excited to know you've arrived again. We have so much to talk about." Although Kamaji hadn't aged in the decade she had been away, it seemed as though he would have had more lines on his face than before. His attitude seemed to give away his stress level. He was somber, despite his happiness to see Chihiro.

"Is everything okay? I saw all of the guards…" Chihiro asked quietly as she brought the cup to her lips. Kamaji's face twitched before his black eyes cast downwards.

"Ah child…Nothing that wasn't predicted…A war broke out between spirits about 6 months after you left. It was brewing for many years before you even came, but it did not officially begin until a spirit assassinated one of the leading officials of the spirit world." Kamaji stated evenly, as he set down his tools. His gnarled hands folded in his lap.

"What is the war about?" Chihiro asked nervously. A pained smile crossed Kamaji's features. "You aren't the only human who has stumbled into the spirit world. During Obon, when humans celebrate spirits and ancestors, the portals to the spirit world become open. Some who are more in tune with the supernatural drift into this world because they feel a pull. Some are just unlucky." Chihiro's face scrunched in confusion, which prompted the spider spirit to continue.

"In essence, more and more humans have stumbled into this world, the reason is still unknown. It may be because the separation is weakening, or by pure chance. No one knows. But, opinions and morals differ between spirits. That divide has driven a wedge between spirits who hate humans and those who seek to have a relationship with them. Most humans that arrive here are killed almost immediately when they happen upon the spirit world. Many spirits hate humans for what they have done to the earth...Humans have desolated much of it...and so, some spirits kill humans mercilessly when humans wander in. They have been condemned by those who do not mind your people, who welcome humans over.

"So when a no-human supporter killed a leading official who proposed peace with humans, it sparked a war. It just so happens that your legacy has not left the bathhouse, and we have to keep guard from those who despise those who tolerate humans. We, and others, even closed the portals for years to the human world to try and protect you all. But, some have still...trickled through." Kamaji explained, a glint of amusement appeared in his eyes as he studied the purple band on her arm. Chihiro was quiet as she stared down at the smelly, yet delicious tea as thoughts ran through her mind. She tried to understand all that was going on.

"Is that why there are patrols and tighter security now? Is that why I never saw you guys again? Why Haku never came for me?" Chihiro asked, but she felt like she already knew the answer. Unshed tears threatened to spill from her chocolate brown eyes as he nodded solemnly. All this time she was cursing the fact that he never came back, that he had forgotten about her. She had even started to believe that she made the whole experience up…That it was a figure of her imagination.

And now, the bathhouse that housed her, that began to treat her like one of its own, had been in danger for years. Whether or not some of the workers approved of humans, everyone who worked there associated with a building that was inherently, human friendly. That made them a target as well.

Chihiro paled slightly. "I'm so sorry." She gulped out, realizing just what her presence meant to the bathhouse...She also realized how misplaced her dislike was for Haku who never went to her. Kamaji refilled her tea cup as he consoled her. "It's not your fault...The divide between us spirits has been around for thousands of years. Do not blame yourself...You know Haku would have come for you if he had the chance, Chihiro."

How could she have even had a doubt? He did nothing but prove he was loyal, even if his actions were at some times, convoluted. Finally, the tears flowed down her face. "Don't cry..." Kamaji stated. "You changed many of us for the better, Chihiro. Don't be sorry for the 1,000 blessings that you are."

But before Chihiro could respond, a shrill alarm sounded throughout the building. It shook the entire infrastructure.

.-x-.

"Sir." A kneeling spirit stated quietly, as his eyes remained downcast from the towering figure that stood in front of him. The sound of the bathhouse's alarm, which was muffled on the outside, allowed for the spirit's statement to barely be heard. The figure turned around slowly from his position that was overlooking the guards that were snaking around the building. The man's steely green eyes narrowed at the spirit kneeling in front of him. "Speak, Yasu."

The spirit shook momentarily before standing upright. Yasu gulped quickly as he stated, "Master Haku…There's been a breach in the lower levels of the bathhouse. It happened just a few minutes ago. There was no power register or a visual confirmation of the intruder…"

Haku's eyes started bleeding white as Yasu began to back up from the man in front of him. "Find A and have him join me downstairs. After this, proceed to your duty station." Haku ground out with a deep growl. Before Yasu could respond, Haku disappeared with a loud crack of lightning.

.-x-.

**_(A/N): I tried to figure out where I left off with the original reviews, but I couldn't find the last spot. _********_ So, if you reviewed before I started writing again, thank you so much! I wish I could figure it out. But, I suppose you may rather me write instead! :P Here's a list of reviewers (I think) from my approximate last update before I started rewriting:_**

**ShimmersAndRipples, SAK00, Spirit09, Jul, Pokegirl 185, Weirdnfreaky, waistedyouth, and guest!**

**_Below are the reviews that I was able to track since my last chapter update:_**

**SpiritGirl: Thank you so much for your compliments! Sorry that I started over! But, I don't think I'll be doing any major changes. It may be a while until I get back to where you are though! Sorry! **

**Weirdnfreaky: Ah! I am. I'm still sick. **** I never got the surgery, so I've still been battling with my health. But, I thought that the story may have needed to be altered due to some holes I was seeing. **** Thanks for following this from the beginning! You are truly the best.**

**James Birdsong: Thank you so much! That really means a whole bunch that you said that. I hope I can continue to deliver!**

**Sue Sophia Yee: Thank you! We will definitely have to see how Chihiro acts when she finally sees her long lost friend. ;)**

**RossaTheRat: Your enthusiasm is sooooo motivational. Lol, it actually got me to finish this chapter. Thanks for the review!**

**Jeanne: thank you! Hopefully this one wasn't bad with writing on this keyboard!**

**Roshini: thank you as well! There may be a few kicks down the road...a love triangle may or may not happen, but we'll see how Chihiro deals with the new Haku...!**

**Bloophearts: thank you for reading as always! Hopefully I don't bore you! :)**

**Spirit09: thanks for reading! I'm updating while I'm on the plane!**

**Jeanne: Thank you very much! I am home and about to start Fall semester...:,C Hope this was suitable for you!**

**Spirit09: Thank you for the kind words! I also wrote this on the kindle, so hopefully it is okay as well! Hopefully you like where this is heading!**

**Thank you also to Nationalcatdat, kawacwtch, Cheeky Shenanigans, StellaScribbles, Lizney, Spirit09, Buzooka Zooka, and xblack-nightmarex for either favoriting or following this story! **


	4. Remembrance

Chapter 4: Remembrance

"Uh, Kamaji…?" Chihiro asked quietly. Her voice quivered in uncertainty. Kamaji's eyes scanned the room before he ushered Chihiro over to him. She quickly stood up and ran over to his seat.

"Come up here, little one." He stated softly, despite the shrill of the alarms. She quickly scaled the stairs to his workspace and sat down with him as his arms extended to reach for his boxes of ingredients. He began fishing through the drawer with multiple arms.

"What's happening?" She asked. Now that she was closer to Kamaji, she felt safer, more secure.

"Either the guards just noticed you arrived or someone else is attempting to gain access right now. This is will hide you. You must keep it in your hand and focus on staying hidden." One of Kamaji's arms returned with a small bumpy green bundle wrapped in twine.

"Thank you so much. It reminds me of the first time I came. Do I have to hold my breath?" Chihiro told Kamaji. She remembered how Haku placed a spell on her to hide her, but it only worked if she held her breath. He chuckled and shook his head as she slowly disappeared.

A loud noise sounded throughout the room. It sounded as if a lightning bolt had struck the boiler room. Chihiro squirmed at the loud noise and almost broke her concentration.

"Kamaji." It was a deep, stone-cold voice. Chihiro covered her mouth to silence herself. There were two men in front of her. One of them was the spirit that had saved her in the town street. The other…

"How can I help you, Haku?" Kamaji questioned. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she stared that the man who Kamaji was speaking to.

It was him. It was Haku. He had grown up into a handsome man, despite his cold outward appearance. He was dressed in simple linen clothes that accentuated his muscular body. His dark green hair was cropped shorter than before in almost a militaristic hairstyle.

Chihiro stared at the features of his face. They seemed to be set in stone. It was as if his face was chiseled out of hard decisions and long, sleepless nights. She longed to see him again for so many years. But she could tell he was different. He wasn't the same teenaged boy she'd left 10 years ago.

"Yasu informed me of a lower-level breach. Your door is the only one on the lower level. Who passed through here?" Haku questioned briefly. His deep green eyes were narrowed towards Kamaji. Chihiro shuddered as Haku's gaze seemed to drift slightly towards Kamaji's left, where she was sitting.

Kamaji chuckled slightly. "I am unsure of what you speak of, Haku. I have yet to see anyone since Lin brought by dinner."

Haku began to move towards Kamaji's workstation. "Look man, why don't you leave this old geezer alone? He probably set off the alarm with one of his stinky ass farts." The black-haired spirit stated.

"You speak when spoken to, A." Haku bit out. In a flash, Haku appeared on the edge of Kamaji's workspace. He was balancing on his toes.

"Speak of who passed through your room, Kamaji. I have no time to be playing such games." His words slid through the air like a sharpened knife. Chihiro shuddered at the sharpness of his speech.

Kamaji stared at the man in front of himself. "You have changed, Haku, and I am not sure if—"

Before Kamaji could finish, Haku's hand shot out and wrapped around Kamaji's neck. "Speak now, or I shall find another boiler man!" Kamaji's multiple hands scratched at Haku's, which showed the tension of his tendons and muscles that were quickly ending Kamaji's ability to breathe.

'_I can't just let him do this!' _Chihiro thought. She quickly threw the small bundle away from her. She slowly materialized.

"It was me, Haku! Chihiro! I came through the boiler room door. Please don't hurt Kamaji!" Chihiro gasped as she tried to pry Haku's hand away from Kamaji's neck.

Icy, green eyes bore into the female who was attempting to pull his arm from the boiler man. They showed no signs of recognition. No compassion. No love. Nothing. Instead, the man disappeared moments later, with no words being said.

The room was quiet, except for Kamaji's labored breathing. Chihiro's eyes turned towards A, the man who saved her in the street. A's face was twisted in confusion. "You're her?" He asked quietly, as if in disbelief. His confusion quickly turned into amusement as he ruffled his hand through his shaggy, black hair. "You _are_ her!" He exclaimed further, before succumbing to uncontrollable laughter.

Chihiro's mouth was open. She didn't know how to respond. Was that really Haku, and how did this man in front of her already know who she was? |And why was he laughing?

"Good thing I saved you. Anyways, I need to go find that asshole before he kills someone else. I expect the full love story when I come back. Tata for now." A snickered, before disappearing.

Chihiro glanced at Kamaji, who shook his head. "Are you okay, Kamaji? Can I help in any way?" Chihiro asked, while placing a hand on the spider spirit's shoulder.

He shook his head. "No, my dear. It takes a lot more than that to hurt or kill a spirit. I'm more concerned about Haku, however."

Chihiro instantly got angry. Her face flushed red as she exclaimed, "but he just put his hands on you! That isn't okay! You could have been hurt!"

Kamaji sighed quietly before turning his upper body towards Chihiro. "We do things differently here, young one. We've all been on our toes these past few years, and that sometimes includes being hypervigilant. We've all been through hard times since you left, but I think he's had it the worst. Perhaps he will see the better sides of things, now that you are back."

.-x-.

"So that's her, huh?" A asked quietly as he walked up to stand next to Haku, who was looking out over the marsh.

Haku remained silent as the wind swirled around the pair standing side by side on the roof.

Eventually, A started chuckling before exclaiming, "I can't believe this!" His icy blue eyes crinkled in laughter and tears started forming in the corners of his eyes. Haku scowled at the laughing man in next to him.

"Calm yourself, A." Haku told the man in an exasperated, yet cold tone. A finally found his composure before looking at the dragon seriously.

"That's your one true love, isn't she?" A said slyly, while pretending to blow kisses at Haku. Haku rolled his eyes before jumping down to the main bridge far down below.

"Why are you treating me this way? I saved her, you know!" A screamed from the rooftop. Haku landed gracefully before his head snapped back towards A, who was currently jumping down to be on the bridge as well. When A landed, Haku's delicate eyebrows furrowed in irritation and curiosity.

"Yeah, she was disappearing. One of those fat assholes in town was manhandling her, so I decided to intervene. I gave her some food after scaring the lights out of that prick." A gave Haku a thumb's up while grinning evilly.

Haku gave A a mildly disgusted look as A's smirk grew wider. "Before you say, 'I do not understand why I put up with your antics,'" A mocked Haku's deep voice, "I would think about how kind I was to that hot human girl." A smacked his lips together, acting as if he was remembering a delicious steak he ate the day prior.

Haku's eyes bled white as he spun to be in front of A. Both men stared at each other relentlessly.

"I'm kidding! Crap, Haku, take a joke. She really is the girl you always used to talk about, huh?" A snickered, as he watched the anger drain from Haku's face. Without notice, the dragon disappeared with a loud crack of lightning.

"This is going to be fun." A stated out loud, before a fresh wave of chuckles hit him.

"A, shut up already! The customers don't like rambunctious idiots!" Aogaeru, a frog spirit, yelled shrilly at the man who was on the bridge still laughing hysterically. A's mischievous blue eyes shot to the frog, who immediately shut his mouth and backed away from the smirking man.

A tilted his head as an evil smirk appeared on his lips. Aogaeru gulped and bowed deeply, apologizing profusely before disappearing. Another bout of laughter bubbled from A's lips before his thick muscles tensed. A's legs propelled him upwards, and he scaled back up the side of the bathhouse in a few seconds. When he landed on the immaculate roof, A slumped on the edge and swung his legs back and forth.

Haku rarely showed emotion….but he was bothered enough by the appearance of the human girl to disappear when she showed herself. That was interesting… A knew exactly how to work Haku's buttons to gather juicy information. Maybe he'd ask the human this time…Just for the fun of it. Yeah…he'd ask the human, as soon as his shift of watching over the entire city was over. He had a long time until dawn, though, but he could wait. A was used to sitting and waiting…and boy, was the information going to be worth it.

.-x-.

**_Hey guys, so a few more characters have been introduced. If you guys are wondering, A's name is pronounced as "Ah." I always hate it when I read something and I spend more time wondering how to pronounce the name rather than actually reading the material. Hope it helps! Also, I will be upping the curse words, at least for A. So, if that bothers you, I am sorry. I'm letting you know in advance!_**

**_{A special thanks to my friend, Weirdnfreaky, who has checked up on me routinely and who has helped me find the drive to write!}_**

**Jeanne: I'm glad it explained it a little—more has yet to be explained though! Thank you!**

**TohruKyoYuki: Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! Did you like ****_Spirited Away?_**

**Reviewer: I think I will make it to the end with this one. I really enjoy writing this story! I'm glad the story suffices! Thank you so much! **

**Ili777: I think I will be able to update regularly! It's still early in my college semester so my updates may be a tad slower! Thank you! **

**Bloophearts: Thank you! I know it was uncanny. :C I have to work on predictability. Thanks for the review!**

**RossaTheRat: Hopefully I'll be moving a lot quicker now than before!**

**SpiritGirlx3: Thanks for sticking with the story! I'm hoping that I'll write it better this time. I thought that I was going away from what I wanted originally, so I thought I'd try to bring it back to where I wanted it to go. **

**Mrs Potato: You'll have to wait and see! Haku's had a pretty bad past…But that's all I can say for now!**

**Weirdnfreaky: Thanks for always reading and checking up on me. You certainly are the best!**

**RavenMoon33: Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope that you continue to like it as Chihiro gets immersed back into the spirit world!**

**Tori B: Hi Tori! Sorry about this being a month later. I hope you'll still like it!**

**Thanks to natnatgibbs, Blks7r, Givemecookies, , OldestOfTheYoung, Chihiro Sen Nushi, RavenMoon33, iamgoingnorth, weebqueen413, FlyingMintTiger, relight-the-fire, DrFizzHead, rin916, freshified, NightshineRecorralis, zero-vk305, Miss March Muffin, SPiritGirlx3, Lizney, StellaeScribbles, Cheeky Shenanigans, kawacwtch, Nationalcatdat, AquaRose16, and ili777 for following or favoriting either "TLoD" or my account!**


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